Joseph Williams
By H. Nelson Goodson
November 17, 2013
Levittown, Pennsylvania - On Friday, Marissa Sargeant posted on her Facebook (FB) account that her 14-year-old boy, Joseph Williams was taken into custody and "brutally tortured" by two Tullytown Borough police officers and had beaten him, including using a taser in his face and even broke his nose. Sargeant posted the assault on her on Facebook to get help from FB users. Sargeant was not even allow to see her son after the incident and claims he was taken to a hospital and she wasn't notified.
When she went to the Tullytown Borough Police Department, they informed her that they had bought him a pizza.
Why did they beat him? Sargeant wrote, "they say he resisted arrest that yall tazzed him in his face ...not only that they took him to lower bucks hospital with out his mother consent they broke his nose n both eyes were swollen shut...I did Go to the station they would not let me n at all they talked to me through the door I didn't see my son for tree days n the cops says o he's fine we ordered him pizza, really?" She explained that he was not armed.
Kiesha Bowles posted on Sargeant's FB, "They claim they hit him with the taser because he wouldn't stop running, but my question is ok...so why continue to beat on him once he's down? He's handcuffed..he can't hurt you...why break his nose? why black his eyes? This is a CHILD!"
On Sunday, Hispanic News Network U.S.A. (HNNUSA) attempted to contact Sargeant, but she hasn't responded. HNNUSA contacted the Tullytown Borough Police Department on Sunday, but the officer that answered the call said, that the Police Chief was not available until Monday. The officer declined to comment about the incident.
Also on Sunday, LevittownNow dot com posted and reported that "Bucks County District Attorney David Heckler said the actions of the borough police officer who fired a single taser barb toward the 14-year-old handcuffed boy as he ran toward busy Route 13 in an attempt to escape “seems appropriate.”" But Sargeant told LevittownNow that she will be filing a complaint on Monday against the Tullytown Police Department concerning her son's abuse while on handcuffs. She told LevittownNow that she knows what her son did was wrong, but he didn't deserve all that for retail theft, referring to his picture showing his injuries.
District Attorney Heckler says, it looks worse then what really happened, since swelling set in.
The police affidavit states that Williams and Jordan Gibson, 19, the boy's uncle are accused of shoplifting merchandise worth at least $31.93 from a Tullytown Walmart store around 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday. A third suspect was also arrested with Gibson and his nephew, but has not been identified.
Apparently, someone at the store saw Gibson remove a BB gun from a package and place it inside Sargeant's son's backpack.
When police arrived, both Williams a third individual and Gibson fled in a truck. Gibson was driving at high speeds around the town until they rear ended a vehicle and were stuck on route 13 near a construction area. The three retail theft suspects were arrested by police. Williams while handcuffed was placed in a police squad car. He managed to escape and ran from the scene. A Tullytown Borough police officer chased Williams and ordered him to stop or he would be tased. Williams ignored the officer's command and he was tased. One of the electrical prongs hit him in the shoulder and the other in the cheek. Williams lost his balance and hit the ground. Heckler says, that Williams must have look back while running when he was struck by the taser barbs, then fell and since he was handcuffed, Williams couldn't break the fall with his arms or hands.
Sargeant told LevittownNow that her son's rights were violated because police wouldn't allow her to see her son for three days. He was tased in the face and then punched several times, according to Sargeant. Her son was taken to a hospital for treatment and then released to police custody. Police took Sargeant's son to the Bucks County Juvenile Center in Doylestown township. He has been released.
The BB gun was not listed in the police affidavit, according to LevittownNow.
Kiesha Bowles posted on Sargeant's FB, "They claim they hit him with the taser because he wouldn't stop running, but my question is ok...so why continue to beat on him once he's down? He's handcuffed..he can't hurt you...why break his nose? why black his eyes? This is a CHILD!"
On Sunday, Hispanic News Network U.S.A. (HNNUSA) attempted to contact Sargeant, but she hasn't responded. HNNUSA contacted the Tullytown Borough Police Department on Sunday, but the officer that answered the call said, that the Police Chief was not available until Monday. The officer declined to comment about the incident.
Also on Sunday, LevittownNow dot com posted and reported that "Bucks County District Attorney David Heckler said the actions of the borough police officer who fired a single taser barb toward the 14-year-old handcuffed boy as he ran toward busy Route 13 in an attempt to escape “seems appropriate.”" But Sargeant told LevittownNow that she will be filing a complaint on Monday against the Tullytown Police Department concerning her son's abuse while on handcuffs. She told LevittownNow that she knows what her son did was wrong, but he didn't deserve all that for retail theft, referring to his picture showing his injuries.
District Attorney Heckler says, it looks worse then what really happened, since swelling set in.
The police affidavit states that Williams and Jordan Gibson, 19, the boy's uncle are accused of shoplifting merchandise worth at least $31.93 from a Tullytown Walmart store around 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday. A third suspect was also arrested with Gibson and his nephew, but has not been identified.
Apparently, someone at the store saw Gibson remove a BB gun from a package and place it inside Sargeant's son's backpack.
When police arrived, both Williams a third individual and Gibson fled in a truck. Gibson was driving at high speeds around the town until they rear ended a vehicle and were stuck on route 13 near a construction area. The three retail theft suspects were arrested by police. Williams while handcuffed was placed in a police squad car. He managed to escape and ran from the scene. A Tullytown Borough police officer chased Williams and ordered him to stop or he would be tased. Williams ignored the officer's command and he was tased. One of the electrical prongs hit him in the shoulder and the other in the cheek. Williams lost his balance and hit the ground. Heckler says, that Williams must have look back while running when he was struck by the taser barbs, then fell and since he was handcuffed, Williams couldn't break the fall with his arms or hands.
Sargeant told LevittownNow that her son's rights were violated because police wouldn't allow her to see her son for three days. He was tased in the face and then punched several times, according to Sargeant. Her son was taken to a hospital for treatment and then released to police custody. Police took Sargeant's son to the Bucks County Juvenile Center in Doylestown township. He has been released.
The BB gun was not listed in the police affidavit, according to LevittownNow.
